


Family Matters

by justshefani



Category: Shefani, The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:53:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justshefani/pseuds/justshefani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blake Shelton never thought he'd be a father... But that all changed.<br/>A collection of stories about Blake, Gwen, and raising kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. BB Gun Blow Out

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fic! I'm just getting into Blake and Gwen's relationship, and I love the idea of Blake interacting with her kids. So I'm going to attempt to write a collection of short stories surrounding that premise. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd be happy to read them!

_Blake awoke on Sunday morning with a pounding headache. It wasn’t new a occurrence for him, as he had awoken with plenty of hangovers in his 39 years of life. But this feeling was different. It wasn’t a few too many bottles of beer or an extra shot of vodka that had brought on this pounding sensation in his head. It was an unfortunate encounter with a 9 year old and BB gun._

It had started off like most Saturdays that he spent in LA. He woke up in his own bed, as Gwen was still skeptical at the thought of him spending the night when she had the kids. She didn’t want them to get the wrong impression or go tattling on her to their father. Blake rolled over and checked the time, seeing it was nearly nine o’clock already. He didn’t usually sleep in that late, but he had stayed at Gwen’s house until nearly one in the morning the previous night playing games with her family. He turned on his phone and saw that he had a new message.

**Morning cowboy! The kids r up early and they keep asking where u r. Come over soon!**

Blake smiled. He had been nervous about dating a girl with three kids, but honestly, it couldn’t have gone better. They had tried to keep the nature of their relationship a secret from the boys, but Kingston had outed them over dinner one night when he made a casual remark about being excited that his mom was dating a cowboy. Since then it had gone pretty smoothly. Blake had made it clear to the boys that he wasn’t there to replace their father in any way, so they treated him more like a friend than a father figure. Which slightly annoyed Gwen because Blake often failed to assume an authoritative role with the kids, which meant food fights at the dinner table and pillow forts way after bed time. Blake had found himself “grounded” a few times, which meant that there was certainly no chance of sex that night. But he was slowly winning the kids over, which made every timeout worth out. 

**Just woke up… But I’ll be right over. Want me to grab breakfast?**

Blake threw on t-shirt, sliding on the first pair of jeans he saw and slipping on his boots. He heard his phone ding as he grabbed his favorite hat and placed it over his matted hair. 

**That would be so rad. Love u!**

Blake typed a quick “love you too” in response and grabbed his car keys. He still hated driving in LA, but he knew it was a skill he’d have to learn if he planned on dating a California girl. And since he didn’t plan on breaking up with Gwen in the near future, he had forced himself to adapt to city driving. Blake stopped at a bakery near his house and picked up a few muffins and a cup of coffee for Gwen, placing the drink in his cup holder and the food in the passengers seat. After five months of dating, he had finally memorized the route to her LA home. But he typed the address into his GPS just to be safe. 

After nearly forty-five minutes of agonizing LA traffic, Blake finally pulled into the familiar driveway. He composed himself, trying to destress from the morning traffic. He couldn’t wait until him and Gwen reached the point where they could live together so he could avoid these commutes to her house. But knowing how protective she was of her kids, that probably wasn’t going to happen until he put a ring on it.

Blake grabbed the food and the coffee, now cold from the drive over, and knocked on the door. He heard the lock click and a tired looking Gwen poked her head out the door.

“Blake.” Her sleepy face instantly transformed into a bright smile. She extended her tiny arms to wrap him in a hug.

“Hey babe.” He muttered in her messy hair. “You look tired.”

She pulled back and nodded. “The kids were up at five this morning.” She sighed. “I swear I only slept for ten seconds last night.”

“Well I brought you a coffee.” Blake said, holding up the caffeinated drink. “But it took forever to get over here so it’s probably a little cold.”

“I’ll just heat it up in the microwave. Thanks honey.” She said, taking the drink from him and shutting the door as Blake stepped into the house. 

Blake was only inside for a few seconds before he was blindsided by an attack from a little blonde haired boy dressed as a pirate. Blake laughed as Zuma pointed his plastic sword at him, a fake eyepatch covering his left eye. Gwen just smiled and shook her head before making her way into the kitchen.

“Walk the plank!” Zuma shouted, doing a poor imitation of a pirate accent.

Blake threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Will you accept my peace offering of a chocolate muffin instead?” He cried.

Zuma’s fake scowl turned into an excited smile. “Chocolate?!” He asked with a grin before quickly fixing his expression, trying to get back into character. “I guess I’ll take your muffin instead.” He responded.

Blake chuckled and pulled a muffin out of the bag, handing it to the little pirate wannabe. “Go eat that in the kitchen so your mom doesn’t kill me for spilling crumbs on the carpet.” He instructed.

Zuma dropped his sword and excitedly ran for the kitchen. 

Blake just smiled and searched for the other two boys. He ventured into the living room and found Kingston stretched out across the couch, his attention turned to the TV. Apollo was on the floor playing with a toy truck.

“Hey Kingston.” Blake said, getting the attention of the oldest boy. “I brought you a muffin if you want it.”

Kingston looked away from the TV and cocked his head. “What kind?” He questioned.

Blake pulled the treat out of the bag. “Chocolate. What else?”

Kingston grinned and hopped off the couch. “Thanks Blake!” He said, grabbing the muffin and heading to the kitchen. 

Blake smiled at Apollo, who was dressed in a camo t-shirt and jeans. Gwen had gone a little crazy on buying country inspired clothing for her kids, but Blake just took it as a compliment. She was fully embracing his redneck lifestyle.

“Blake!” Gwen shouted, her voice carrying from the kitchen. She stomped her way into the living room, giving him a look. “Chocolate muffins at 10 in the morning? They’re going to be bouncing off the walls.” She explained.

Blake just chuckled. “It’ll be fine. We can go out back and toss around a football to blow off steam.”

Gwen sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “You’re such a child sometimes.” She said, shaking her head.

“Yea well I’m a man in the bedroom.” He smirked.

Gwen smacked his chest. “Blake!” She exclaimed. “Apollo is right there.”

“He’s two.” Blake laughed. “I don’t think he heard me. He’s more concerned with figuring out how he can stick that truck in his mouth.”

Gwen held back a smile. “There are so many dirty jokes that I could make from that statement.” She muttered.

“Now who has their mind in the gutter?” Blake laughed.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Anyways,” she said, diverting the conversation, “I have a meeting with my record label about my next single a little later, so I was wondering if you could watch the kids for a couple hours.”

Blake stared at her. “Me? Alone?” He questioned.

Gwen arched an eyebrow. “Yes…” She said hesitantly. “Is that a problem?”

Blake quickly recovered. “Of course not!” He exclaimed. “I’d be happy to help. It’s just that I haven’t been alone with the kids before.”

“Should I be worried?” Gwen asked.

Blake shook his head. “No, no. I’ve got it covered. I watch my sister’s kids all the time.”

Gwen nodded. “Good. There’s some frozen pizza in the freezer so you can just serve that for dinner. I shouldn’t be gone that long but you can call me if there’s any problems.”

Blake gave her a thumbs up. “Sounds great.” He said, giving her a kiss on cheek. 

She smiled, beginning to lean in for a real kiss before a loud crash caused both of them to jump.

“It was Zuma!” Came a shout from the kitchen. 

Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes. “Children.” She muttered.

Blake laughed and watched her walk away.

 

Gwen left for her meeting a little before four, leaving Blake in the house alone with three rambunctious boys. He clapped his hands together and faced the two oldest. “So, what do we want to do?” He questioned.

Kingston and Zuma looked at each other with grins on their faces. “We want to learn how to shoot guns like real cowboys.” Kingston said excitedly.

Blake’s eyes widened. “I can’t give you guys guns. Your mom would kill me.”

“Not real guns!” Zuma exclaimed. “Like, fake guns.”

Blake thought for a second, considering his options. He could tell the boys no and deal with their whining for the next two and a half hours, or he could find a way to satisfy their fantasy without ending up with a bullet in his head from Gwen. He decided to go with the latter.

“Ok get in the car.” Blake instructed. The two boys eagerly slipped on their shoes and headed outside while Blake got Apollo ready to go. Before he want outside, Blake googled his favorite sporting goods store in LA and called ahead, making a special request for a few items to be brought to the back of the store to be purchased. The last thing he needed was the paparazzi catching him out and about doing some shopping with Gwen’s kids. He carried the youngest outside and strapped him into the car seat as Zuma and Kingston buckled themselves into the back. He made the short drive to the small shop and pulled around back, tapping on the steering wheel as he waited to see whether the manager would follow through with his request. Sure enough, a short, chubby man came out a few seconds later with a plastic sack his hand. Blake hopped out of the car and pulled out his wallet, handing the guy a wad of cash and thanking him for his help. The guy happily accepted the money and waddled back inside.

Blake climbed back into the car with a smirk.

“What’d you buy?” Kingston asked, straining his head to see the bag in the passengers seat.

“You’ll see.” Blake smiled.

He drove them back home, grabbing the bag from the the seat next to him as Kingston unbuckled Apollo. The four boys headed back inside, Kingston and Zuma jumping in excitement. 

“What’s in the bag Blake?” Zuma asked, his eyes practically popping out his head as he struggled to see the contents. 

Blake emptied out the bag on the kitchen table, two small BB guns falling from the sack. A box of BB pellets fell out as well. Kingston and Zuma each grabbed a gun, their eyes wide in excitement.

“Want to go outside and shoot them?” Blake asked.

Zuma and Kingston were running outside before Blake had a chance to change his mind. He laughed and looked at Apollo, who was happily playing with his toy truck again. “I’m so screwed.” Blake muttered. He lifted Apollo into his arms and carried him outside, placing him on the patio and away from the young boys carrying dangerous weapons. Blake grabbed a cardboard box from the trash can and placed it in the middle of the yard. 

“Ok I need to establish some rules before we start.” Blake said, giving the two boys a warning look. “Rule one is be safe.” He said. “Rule two is don’t shoot unless I tell you too. And most importantly, rule three is don’t shoot at people. Only shoot at the target.” 

Zuma and Kingston nodded enthusiastically. 

“Oh and rule four is don’t tell your mom about this.” Blake added with a sneaky smile. He took the guns from the boys and made sure they were loaded and properly set, then carefully instructed them on how to fire the gun. “These things will really hurt if you shoot yourself, so be careful.” Blake explained. 

Kingston was up first. He stood in the spot where Blake instructed and pointed his gun at the box. Blake helped him to get his stance right and then backed up, giving the kid plenty of space. Kingston pulled the trigger and the pellet shot out of the gun, clipping the top of the box.

Blake clapped. “Not bad. Your turn Zuma.” 

The boys took turns firing for a while before Blake upped the stakes. He grabbed a marker from inside and drew a bullseye on the box, stepping away to admit his handiwork.

“Ok each of you get five shots.” Blake explained. “The outer ring is 1 point, the middle ring is 2, and the bullseye is 4. Winner gets ten bucks.” He said, pulling a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. 

Zuma and Kingston smirked at each other. “You’re going down.” Kingston said with a smile, stepping up to the shooting spot.

Kingston fired his first shot and missed the outer ring by a couple centimeters. Zuma gave it a try and nearly missed the whole box itself. 

Blake shook his head. “Not a very interesting game.”

Kingston stepped up again, letting out a deep breath and pointing the gun at the target. He fired and hit the middle ring. “Yes!” He cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. 

Blake laughed as Apollo began to clap from his spot on the patio, the two year old clearly excited by his brother’s display.

The boys went back and forth, Kingston building up a solid lead over his brother. On his last shot he managed to hit the bullseye, and he nearly screamed in excitement. 

“You’re a natural!” Blake exclaimed, clapping. “You might be a better shot than me one day.”

Zuma trudged up for his last turn. He hit the middle ring on his final attempt, which was his best shot of the game. Blake gave him a high five and ruffled his hair. “Hey you’ll get him next time.” Blake said encouragingly. “I have my off days too.”

Blake handed the ten dollar trophy to Kingston and congratulated him. “We should probably clean up and head inside for dinner.” He said as Kingston excitedly shoved the money in his pocket. They all headed inside and Blake threw a movie on the TV for the kids to watch as he prepared the frozen pizza. 

Things were going well until Blake had to change Apollo’s diaper. Zuma and Kingston were chowing down on their pizza and watching Alvin and the Chipmunks as Blake carried Apollo to the bedroom where Gwen kept the wet wipes and diapers. Blake scrunched up his nose at the smell, but he made quick work of the dirty diaper, placing a fresh diaper on Apollo and wrapping the old one in a plastic bag to be taken outside. He let Apollo walk himself back into the living room and threw the diaper outside, making his way back inside. When he reached the living room, his future stepdad alarm went off.

Kingston was holding a BB gun, pointing it directly at Zuma’s chest. Blake quickly moved to intervene, not wanting anyone to get hurt. “Hey!” He exclaimed, giving Kingston a disapproving stare. Kingston looked up quickly, the gun moving with him. Unfortunately, Zuma took that as an opportunity to tackle his brother as revenge for pointing the gun at him, causing Kingston’s finger to slip and prompting a pellet to be released from the gun. It rocketed through the air and hit Blake square in the forehead. 

Blake dropped to the ground, clenching his forehead in pain. It felt like he had actually just been shot. As luck would have it, that very moment the front door opened and a familiar voice rang through the house.

Kingston and Zuma stared at each other, wide eyed. Kingston quickly shoved the gun under the couch cushion and sat down, turning all his attention to the TV. Zuma did the same, not wanting to face his mother’s wrath. Apollo happily played with his truck, none the wiser.

Gwen paused at the scene before her. “Blake?” She said, concern written across her face as her boyfriend remained curled in a ball on the floor. 

“I’m fine.” Blake managed to say through gritted teeth. “I’m just resting.”

Gwen looked past Blake at the back of her boys’ heads. “King, what happened?” She asked.

Kingston didn’t turn around. “Nothing.” He quickly said. “Blake’s just taking a nap.”

Gwen had been a mother long enough to know when her kid was fibbing. “Kingston. Don’t lie to me.” She warned. 

Kingston swallowed hard. “Ok I hit Blake in the head with a BB gun.” He spilled.

“Great King, you officially broke rules one through four now.” Blake muttered from the floor. “I want my ten dollars back.”

“You gave them BB guns?” Gwen exclaimed angrily. 

Blake looked up at her innocently. “I had good intentions. They wanted to learn how to shoot guns like a cowboy so I figured BB guns would be safest.” He explained.

“What about the Nerf guns in their rooms?” Gwen practically shouted. “Foam bullets are way safer than tiny plastic balls! What were you thinking?! They could have been seriously hurt!” Her voice had escalated quickly, and she was suddenly aware of the fact that she didn’t want to cuss out her boyfriend in front of her three children. She turned her attention back to the boys. “Both of you go to your room.” She instructed, trying to sound calmer. She didn’t want to her boys to see her yelling at Blake, not after the fights that they had to witness between her and Gavin. “I’ll deal with you later. And Kingston, take Apollo with you.”

Kingston and Zuma both scurried from the couch and disappeared from their mother, knowing better than to argue.

“Come on Blake. They’re children, you can’t give them deadly weapons.” Gwen reasoned, her tone less harsh. 

“I would hardly call them deadly.” Blake said, still clutching his throbbing head. “I mean I just took a shot to the skull and I’m still alive.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, plopping down on the floor next to Blake. “Are you ok?” She asked, her concern momentarily shifted to his injury. 

Blake shrugged. “I’ll probably be fine in a couple minutes.” He explained. “At least it wasn’t my eye.”

Gwen moved to place his head in her lap, her fingers brushing over the welt that was already forming on his forehead. “Well, since you’re fine, now I’m going to lecture you over the importance of not letting my children have guns when I leave the house.” She said sternly.

Blake sighed. “I feel like a child when you talk to me like that.”

“Good.” Gwen said, still stroking his forehead. “That’s because you are a child.”

“Listen,” Blake said, moving his body so that he was sitting up and facing Gwen. “I realize that giving them BB guns was a dumb idea and I’m really sorry. I just want them to like me and I don’t know how to say no to them yet.” 

Gwen sighed. “I get it Blake. You just want to be the fun guy who’s easy to like. But if you’re going to be their stepdad one day, then you’re going to have to learn how be more responsible and say no sometimes. That’s why I left them with you tonight. I wanted to see if you could handle it.”

Blake frowned. “Well I clearly failed that test.”

Gwen gave him a small smile. “Well at least you’re the one that ended up hurt and not them.” She said, placing a hand on his cheek. 

“On the bright side, I think I proved that I’d be willing to take a bullet for them.” Blake joked. 

Gwen rolled her eyes and dropped her hand. “Whatever cowboy.” She laughed, his sense of humor inevitably making her crack.

“Hey I know you’re mad about the BB gun thing, but it was my fault, not the boys. You shouldn’t discipline them.” Blake said more seriously. 

Gwen nodded her head, thinking it over. “So you’re willing to accept all of their punishment too?” She asked.

“It depends what form of punishment it is.” Blake smirked.

Gwen laughed. “I’ll just let them be scared for tonight and drop it tomorrow.” She said. “Maybe if I ground them to their rooms for tonight we can get started on that punishment.”

Blake smirked again. “I like the way you think.”

Gwen leaned in and gave Blake a kiss, letting her lips linger on his for a few extra seconds. She moved her lips to his forehead and placed another kiss on his growing welt. “And I think you should stay here for the night just in case you have a concussion and slip into unconsciousness over night or something. I want to make sure you’re safe. How can you be a stepdad if you’re in a coma?”

“How can I be a stepdad if I don’t plan on marrying you? I mean I have some other options I’ve been thinking about exploring…” He smirked.

Gwen slapped his chest. “That better be the concussion talking.” She warned.

Blake laughed and leaned in for another kiss. “Go tell the boys they’re grounded so I can explore your options.” He said smoothly.

Gwen jumped up and headed towards the bedrooms. “See you in five cowboy!” She said with a smirk.

 

_That’s how Blake ended up in Gwen Stefani’s bed with a headache that rivaled that of a wicked hangover. He looked to his left and saw his beautiful girlfriend asleep next to him, her face pressed into his chest and her legs tangled through his. He could get used to waking up like this every morning, minus the major headache of course. He made a mental note to start looking at rings, as it was clear that Gwen’s mind was already set on marriage. Then he could spend every night with her and her kids, and there wasn’t anything on Earth that he wanted more.  
Well, except for a few Advil._


	2. Chicken Noodle Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's my second shot at this. Hope you like it.

Gwen was tired, exhausted, and sick of dealing with people. A long day of negotiations over her album had left her in a zombie state, and the only thing she wanted was a shot of alcohol and a long night of sleep. Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t possible with three kids. She sighed as she pulled into her parent’s driveway, seeing a bike and a football discarded in the yard and feeling slightly guilty for leaving her sons with her parents all day. She only got to see every other week and the last thing she wanted to do was waste a precious day with them, but her label wouldn’t move the date of the meeting. She would have to use what little energy she had left to make it up to them tonight.

Gwen brushed back her hair and tried again to compose herself. She hoped that she didn’t look as terrible as she felt. Being stuck in meetings all day was one way to completely suck the life out of you. On top of that, her boyfriend wasn’t returning any of her calls or texts which didn’t make her feel any better. She checked her phone again and found she still had no missed calls or new messages. She know she was being needy, but she shot Blake another text anyways. It had only been 24 hours but she already missed seeing his face.

Gwen finally pulled herself out of the car and walked to the door, giving three sharp knocks. A few seconds later, her tired looking mother answered the door.

“Gwen. Oh thank God.” She breathed. “Apollo is throwing a fit.”

Gwen sighed and stepped into the house, putting her mom face on. She quickly quieted Apollo’s fit and got the other two boys ready to go, telling her parents thank you and loading everybody into the car. Kingston and Zuma took turns telling her stories about their day and Gwen smiled, happy that at least they had a good day. When they finally got home she instructed the boys to put their pajamas on and pick a movie to watch. It was only a little after eight o’clock but Gwen felt like she hadn’t slept in ages. She plopped onto the couch, Apollo in her arms, and closed her eyes.

_I know when that hotline bling, that can only mean one thing…_

Gwen’s eyes snapped open. She moved Apollo off her lap and looked around for her phone, not sure where she had set it when she came in. She finally found it on the kitchen table and hurriedly pressed the answer button.

“You’re alive!” She said into the phone, letting a small smile slip onto her face. She knew she acted like a desperate teenager in love for the first time whenever she talked to him, but she couldn’t help it.

Blake let out a chuckle. “Barely.” He replied. A loud cough rang through the phone.

“Woah, are you feeling ok?” Gwen asked, her smile morphing into a look of concern. 

There was a pause and then a big sneeze. “I think I just caught something on set today.” He explained, sounding congested. “It’ll probably pass in the morning.”

Gwen frowned as Kingston approached her, his hair a complete mess and his pajamas wrinkled. He tugged on her shirt and pointed at the TV. Gwen held up a finger. “Is there anything I can do?” She asked, ignoring Kingston for the time being.

“No, I’m fine.” Blake insisted, still sounding miserable. “I’m just going to try and sleep it off.”

“Well make sure you drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest.” Gwen advised.

“Thanks mom.” Blake laughed. He let out another cough.

“You really don’t sound good.” Gwen said, slightly worried. “Are you sure you don’t want me to…”

“I’m fine, I promise.” Blake interrupted. “Shouldn’t you be spending time with your kids?” He asked.

Gwen looked down at Kingston, who was still standing next to her with an impatient look. “Yea…” She said, letting her sentence trail off. “But I’m coming over tomorrow to check on you.”

“I’ve got cough syrup and a bottle of vodka. I’ll be over this in no time.” Blake joked.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Don’t do that.” She advised. Zuma joined his brother at her side, both of them looking up at her with anxious looks. “My kids are giving me the death glare so I gotta go.” She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Ok. Goodnight sweetheart.” Blake said, his country accent still thick through the phone. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Gwen replied, sighing as she ended the call. Her motherly instincts were telling her that she needed to be helping Blake, but her actual motherly duties were preventing her.

“What’s wrong with Blake?” Kingston asked.

“How do you know I was talking to Blake?” Gwen questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Because 90% of the time that you’re on the phone, you’re talking to Blake.” Kingston explained.

“Really?” Gwen asked. 

Kingston and Zuma both nodded. Gwen sighed. She really was a desperate teenager in love.

“So what’s wrong?” Kingston asked again.

Gwen set her phone back on the table. “I think he has a cold or something.” She shrugged. “He didn’t sound very good.”

“Are you going to make him soup like you do when we’re sick?” Zuma asked. 

Gwen shook her head. “No, he’s a big boy. He doesn’t need me to bring him soup.” 

“I don’t think you’re ever too old for soup.” Kingston argued. “We should make some and bring it to him. Maybe it’ll make him feel better.”

Gwen gave him a quizzical look. “I thought you guys wanted to watch a movie.”

Zuma shrugged. “Well we can watch a movie at Blake’s house. Then we can bring him soup and have movie night.” He suggested.

Gwen couldn’t help but let a huge smile overtake her face. “Ok, I’ll tell you what.” She said. “I’ll make the soup if you guys go pick out a DVD and get Apollo ready to go.” 

Kingston and Zuma both turned towards the living room as Gwen headed to the kitchen, pulling out a can of chicken noodle soup. She threw it on the stove and cranked on the heat, wondering why she was actually going along with this. Something about Blake just made her want to be spontaneous. And she couldn’t believe that Kingston and Zuma actually wanted to sacrifice their movie night to bring Blake soup in the first place. They had only been dating for about three months but she knew her sons liked Blake. She hadn’t come out and told them that they were dating, but she figured that at least Kingston had picked up on it. Probably Zuma as well. The magazines made it almost impossible to keep anything from her sons, so she didn’t try very hard. One of these days she was going to sit down and have a talk with them.

“Apollo is ready!” Kington shouted, carrying his younger brother to the kitchen. “We should bring Blake some crackers too. Crackers and soup go really well together.” He suggested.

Gwen shrugged her shoulders. “You can see if there’s any in the cabinet.” She said.

Kingston set Apollo down and searched the cabinet for any sign of crackers. Zuma came running into the kitchen with a grin plastered on his face. “How about we watch this one?” He said, holding up a copy of Inside Out.

Gwen gave him an approving nod. “Sounds fine to me.” She said.

Kingston nodded as well, emerging from the cabinet with a box of Club crackers. “Do you think Blake will like it?” He asked.

“I’m sure he will.” Gwen answered. She poured the hot soup into a plastic tupperware container and ushered the boys out the door. She knew she was going to be pushing it with Apollo past nine, but Zuma and Kingston seemed to have their hearts set on seeing Blake.

“I can’t wait to see his face when we bring him the soup.” Zuma said excitedly. “I bet he’ll be happy.”

“He’s always happy.” Kingston replied. “I’ve never actually seen him frown.”

“That’s true. I wonder if he ever feels sad or angry…” Zuma pondered.

Gwen just shook her head and laughed. Apollo had passed out in his car seat and she knew it was going to be a pain to pull him out. He would most likely start crying the minute he woke up. She still had no idea why she agreed to this late night outing, but for some reason it just felt right.

“Hey mom, can we bring Blake some ice cream too?” Kingston asked as they approached a Dairy Queen.

“Is the ice cream for Blake of for you?” Gwen laughed, knowing her children’s tricks.

“Well…” Kingston started.

Gwen just rolled her eyes and flipped on her turn signal, pulling into Dairy Queen. She knew it was irresponsible to give her kids ice cream this late at night, but she was already venturing outside of her comfort zone so she figured why not. Kingston and Zuma gave each other a high five in the backseat. 

After a quick ice cream stop, Gwen finally pulled into Blake’s driveway. She loaded the kids out of the car and gave the soup to Kingston, letting Zuma carry the crackers and the movie. Gwen balanced Apollo in one arm and Blake’s Oreo blizzard in the other. Luckily, Apollo hadn’t put up a fit when she pulled him out of the car seat. He happily rested his head on her shoulder, his eyes still closed.

“Ok guys, somebody knock on the door.” Gwen instructed as they walked to the front porch. “And remember, don’t touch anything that Blake touches or you’ll get sick too.”

Zuma pounded his fists on the door and stepped back, a huge smile on his face. It took about a minute before the lock clicked and the door swung open. Blake was standing there in a t shirt and sweats, his hair a flattened mess and his eyes red with exhaustion. That didn’t stop his face from brightening with a smile the minute he saw the boys and Gwen in front of him.

“Hey Blake! We heard you were sick so we brought you some soup.” Kingston said, extending the hand that was holding the small tupperware container.

Blake gladly took the soup from Kingston, giving the rest of the group a confused stare. “Did you come all the way over here to bring me soup?” He asked, scratching his head.

Zuma nodded excitedly. “It was me and Kingston’s idea. We brought you some crackers and some ice cream too.”

Blake’s smile grew bigger. “Really? How did you know that I love crackers and ice cream when I’m sick?” He said, stepping back and letting everyone into his house. He closed the door as Gwen stepped in last. “Was this really their idea?” He asked.

Gwen nodded. “They heard me talking to you on the phone and they wanted to help you feel better.”

Blake laughed. “Well thanks guys. I feel better already.”

“We brought a movie too.” Zuma said, holding up the copy of Inside Out. “We were supposed to have a movie night at home but mom said we could bring it over here.”

Gwen gave Blake a worried look. “Only if you’re up for it. We can go back home if you want to go to sleep.”

“No, it’s fine.” Blake assured her. “I’d much rather be hanging out with you guys than sleeping.” He said, although the heavy bags under his eyes betrayed his words. “Let me help you start the movie.”

Gwen reached out and grabbed his arm. “I can start the movie. Why don’t you go put the soup in the fridge and grab yourself a bottle of water to stay hydrated?”

“You really are my mom.” Blake joked, although he headed towards the kitchen like she instructed. 

Gwen took the box of crackers from Zuma and set them on the table along with Blake’s ice cream, then led the kids to the living room. Blake didn’t put much effort into furnishing his house since it was only a rental, but he did have a few blankets and pillows. She set Apollo down on a bundle of blankets and helped Zuma to start the movie while Kingston got settled on the couch. Blake came in a few minutes later with a glass of water and the blizzard Gwen had set on the table. 

“Uh, who ate half of my ice cream?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kingston and Zuma both pointed at Gwen.

“Oh come on, I only took a few bites.” Gwen said defensively.

Blake shook his head. “What if you’re sick and I catch a cold from you?”

Gwen laughed and rolled her eyes. “Too late for that cowboy.”

Blake smiled took a bite of his ice-cream anyways, taking a seat on the couch on the opposite end as Kingston. He let the couch recline, teaching Kinston how to do the same. Gwen pushed play on the movie and settled in next to Blake, leaving enough space so that they weren’t cuddling. Cuddling was for alone time, not family time. Zuma sat down between Gwen and Kingston.

“Have you seen this movie before Blake?” Zuma asked.

Blake shook his head. “I haven’t bud. But I’m actually really glad you brought it over because I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while.”

“It’s so good.” Zuma said, his face erupting into a big smile.

“I’m so excited.” Blake replied, replicating Zuma’s big grin.

Gwen chucked and scooted a little closer to Blake, hoping her kids didn’t notice. Blake threw his arm over the back of the couch, letting his fingertips barely graze the top of Gwen’s shoulder. She smiled up at him. 

“Are you sure you’re going to make it through this movie?” She whispered, inspecting the tiredness in his eyes.

“Of course.” Blake said. “I told you I’m fine. I’m not going to let a little cold stop me from enjoying this moment.”

Gwen looked down the couch at Kingston and Zuma, who’s eyes were transfixed on the screen, and at the floor where a sleeping Apollo was curled into a ball. She wouldn’t want to miss this moment either. 

 

Kingston and Zuma only made it half way through the movie before they passed out like their little brother, their soft snores interrupting the movie every once in a while. Gwen could feel her eyelids drooping too, but surprisingly Blake still seemed wide awake. He smiled as she rested her head on his chest, finally moving to the cuddling position now that her kids were asleep.

“I told you I could make it.” Blake said, running his fingers through her blonde hair.

“You win.” Gwen yawned. It was only 10:00, but she felt herself dozing off fast. 

“Want me to stop the movie so ya’ll can go home?” Blake asked.

Gwen shook her head sleepily. “Waking them up and getting them into the car would be pointless. We can just stay here for the night.”

Blake chuckled. “Did you just invite yourself to sleep over at my house?”

Gwen nodded. “We’ve been together three months. I can do that now.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Blake said, shaking his head. He reached over and grabbed the remote, pressing pause and shutting off the TV. The room became silent.

“Should we move them?” Gwen asked, looking at the uncomfortable positions her boys were asleep in.

“Nah.” Blake said. “They’re young. They probably won’t even feel it.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” Gwen asked after a minute.

Blake shrugged. “I’m pretty comfortable right here.” He said with a yawn.

Gwen repositioned her head on Blake’s chest. “Me too.” She said sleepily. 

Blake smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Well then goodnight I guess.”

“Goodnight I guess.” Gwen muttered into his chest.

Blake reached over and flipped off the lamp next to him, bathing the room in darkness. He could feel Gwen breathing against his chest.

“If I get sick, it’s your fault.” Gwen said suddenly, her voice small and tired.

“Hey I’m not forcing you to sleep on me.” Blake laughed.

“Well if you weren’t so darn comfortable and if you didn’t smell so perfect, I wouldn’t have this problem.” Gwen explained.

“I’m sorry for being so amazing.” Blake said.

“Apology not accepted.” Gwen replied.

A few more minutes of silence passed before a small voice caused both of them to open their eyes. 

“I knew you guys were dating.” Kingston said groggily, his eyes having adjusted to the darkness and having seen his mom’s head pressed against Blake’s chest.

Gwen knew she should be more concerned, but frankly she was too tired to care. “Just go back to sleep King.” She replied. 

“Mommy and Blake, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” Kinston sang.

Gwen grabbed the pillow from behind her back and threw it in the direction of his voice. Kingston let out a laugh.

“Ok fine.” He said. “You guys are hugging in a tree.”

Blake smiled as the 9 year old returned to his previous position, both him and Gwen falling asleep in a few minutes. Blake knew he could get used to nights like these. He couldn’t even remember what his life was like before he had these people in his life. And frankly, he didn’t ever want to go back.


	3. Vacation in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any storyline suggestions for upcoming chapters, I'd be happy to take them. Other than that, enjoy!

Blake wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Gwen told him they were going on a “family vacation” and asked for suggestions. Growing up, he didn’t remember going on many vacations apart from an occasional road trip to Oklahoma City or Dallas. And those usually consisted of him bugging his older sister to the point where his step dad pulled over the car and threatened to beat him, and then having his sister laugh at him mockingly. And the older he got, the more his trips centered around drinking and hunting rather than spending time with family. Somehow, Blake didn’t imagine that either of those scenarios were going to be similar to a trip to the Ozarks with Gwen and her boys. After she had asked him about coming with them, he had suggested they spend a few days on the lake since it was the beginning of August and the heat was going to be unbearable no matter where they went in the US. After a few deliberations, they had agreed on renting a nice house and a boat on the lake in Missouri. It wasn’t the type of vacation Gwen would typically pick, but he was pushing her out of her shell.

“Did you remember to buy sunscreen and bug repellent?” Gwen asked, her attention fixated on forcing a flimsy zipper to close her overstuffed suitcase. 

“Yea, they’re in my bag.” Blake answered, sipping on a Dr. Pepper with his feet kicked up on the coffee table. He had finished packing nearly two hours ago and he’d been enjoying himself watching Gwen struggle to fit her entire closet into one bag. They were only going to be gone for five days, but someone would have thought they were packing for the zombie apocalypse with the amount of stuff she was bringing.

“Are the boys packed?” Gwen asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

“Everything is already in the car and the boys are watching TV in the living room.” Blake responded. After nine months, he had totally gotten the hang of this whole dad thing. He knew that he could get them to do practically anything by promising to let them watch TV afterwards, and so far his methods had worked every time. Gwen complained that he was rotting their brains, but he’d rather be rotting their brains than destroying his sanity. He had determined that arguing with a ten year old was the most frustrating thing he could do, and that was saying a lot considering the number of frustrating situations that Blake had been in over the years.

“So you’re just waiting on me?” Gwen asked, still working furiously at the zipper that refused to shut.

“Always.” Blake smiled. He set down his drink and stood up, coming from behind Gwen and placing his hand over hers. He guided her hand with the zipper around the suitcase, finally succeeding in zipping it up all the way up. Gwen turned around and stared at him in disbelief.

“How did you do that?” She asked. “I’ve been trying to close that thing for thirty minutes.”

“I guess I just have good hands.” Blake smirked, grabbing both her hands on his as they faced each other. He brought her left hand up to his lips and pressed a small kiss near her wrist, trailing light pecks up to where a beautiful diamond sparkled on her thin ring finger. He had put that diamond there a month ago, and there wasn’t a day that he didn’t look at it and smile with happiness at the thought of marrying her one day soon.

“I think I’m the one with good hands.” Gwen said, pulling her hands out of his grasp and spinning around to lift her suitcase off the bed. “At least that’s what you said the other night.”

Blake chuckled. “Hey I got it.” He said, sticking out an arm to stop her as she started to grab her suitcase. “Why don’t you go get the boys in the car?”

“Can little ole me not manage to carry my own suitcase twenty feet?” Gwen said, imitating the voice of a child. She smiled as Blake laughed at her.

“I’m just trying to be a gentleman.” He explained. “But if you really want to, I’ll let you carry it.”

“Maybe I will.” Gwen said, grabbing the handle and pulling on the oversized suitcase. Her face scrunched up as the suitcase didn’t budge. “On second thought, you can do that.” She said, releasing her grip from the bag.

Blake chuckled. “Ok Miss Independent.” He teased. 

“Watch it cowboy.” Gwen said, sticking a finger in his face. “I might change my mind.” She said, wiggling the fingers on her left hand.

“Well if you change your mind can I have the ring back?” Blake asked sincerely. “That thing was hella expensive and I could use that money to buy myself a new truck or something.”

Gwen just rolled her eyes. “Get out of here.” She said, playfully pushing him away.

Blake chuckled, leaning in and planting a kiss on her lips. Gwen allowed herself to sink into the smooch, enjoying the feeling of his warm lips pressed against hers. Her hands were clenching his shirt, the fabric balled up in her fists as they both deepened the kiss that was meant to be short and sweet. A small cough caused them to jump back.

“Blake, you told me kissing girls was bad.” Zuma said, his arms crossed across his chest.

Blake blushed. “It is bad bud. Very bad. In fact, you should put me in time out.”

Zuma entertained the thought for a second, but then shook his head. “No, only mommy can do that.”

“What do you need baby?” Gwen said, attempting to fix her lipstick with her finger.

“Well Kingston won’t let me have the remote and he keeps flipping through the channels because he doesn’t want me to watch TV with him and…”

“Ok well we’re about to leave so tell Kingston to turn the TV off and get in the car.” Gwen instructed, ushering Zuma out the door. Blake grabbed Gwen’s bag from the bed and followed behind them, hauling the fifty pound bag out to the car. He looked in the side mirror and attempted to wipe off Gwen’s lipstick from his lips.

It took Gwen ten minutes to finally get the boys into the car. Blake pulled out the driveway, taking the back way to the airport that him and Gwen had learned after months of having the paparazzi follow their every move. It had gotten better over the summer, but once Blake proposed, all hell broke lose again. 

The airport wasn’t a long drive, and soon they were all transported to a plane for a three hour flight to Branson. From Branson, it was another forty-five minute drive to the private house on the lake they had rented. The minute they reached the house, the boys crashed from the long day of travel. With all of the kids asleep, Blake and Gwen snuck out to the back porch that overlooked the lake.

“It’s so beautiful.” Gwen marveled, standing in front of Blake as he wrapped his arms around her waste, pulling her close to his body. Her back was pressed against his chest.

“Almost as beautiful as you.” Blake replied with a small smile.

“Really? That’s the best you got? That’s so corny.” Gwen teased.

“Hey, I..” Blake began defensively.

“I’m just kidding.” Gwen laughed. “You’re like the raddest guy I know for saying stuff like that.”

Blake smiled contently. “Good.” He said, bringing his lips closer to her ear. “Because I meant it. You’re so beautiful. Like, words can’t even describe how gorgeous you are.” He whispered before planting kissing along her neck.

Gwen closed her eyes and blushed, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her neck. “If the boys weren’t sleeping in the next room, I would do so many things to you right now.” She murmured as he trailed kisses up to her earlobe. 

“I’ll take you up on that when the kids aren’t around.” Blake muttered against her skin. He finished his string of kisses with a kiss on the lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and wrapping his arms around her waist again. “What are we going to do tonight?” He asked.

“Well, I know what I want to do.” Gwen smirked, entwining her fingers in his. “But since this is a family vacation, I guess we shouldn’t spend all our time making out.” She sighed. “I was thinking that when they wake up we’ll probably grab something to eat and then take the boat for a drive around the lake before bedtime.”

Blake nodded, seemingly approving of her plans. He was quiet for a second. “But, can we spend some time making out after that?” He asked, his voice replicating that of a child asking for an expensive toy at the store.

Gwen laughed. “We’ll deal with that later.” She said, spinning around so that she was now facing him, her back against the railing. Her eyes travelled up and down his body, carefully inspecting him. He was built nothing like her previous two boyfriends, but she had discovered that she much preferred the build of a sturdy farmer than a skinny body builder. She wrapped her arms around his neck, licking her lips in the process. Blake smiled approvingly and snaked his hands around her waste, placing them right above her backside.

“Or we could deal with that now.” He breathed, resting his forehead against hers. Their lips were inches apart. 

“Ouch! Zuma!”

A loud shout ruined the tension that was bubbling between the two singers. Gwen sighed and stepped back, dropping her arms from Blake’s neck. Blake just chuckled.

“I’ve been cock blocked by your sons twice today.” He chuckled.

“Well get used it.” Gwen replied. “It happens a lot.” She brushed past Blake and headed back into the house, investigating the cause of all the commotion.

It turned out that Zuma had rolled over and punched Kingston in the face while they were sleeping, and it was relatively easy for Gwen to talk the situation down. The downside was that the two oldest boys were no longer tired, so Gwen sent Blake out to pick up some food for dinner. By the time he returned with chips and sandwiches from a nearby shop, Apollo was awake too and everyone was dressed in their swimsuits. 

“I promised them we could go out in the boat as soon as they finished eating.” Gwen explained, a long, thin white shirt covering her black bikini. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail, threaded through the back of the hat he had given her from his ranch when they first started dating. A pair of black flip flops and camo sunglasses accented the outfit perfectly. 

“Sounds good to me.” Blake said, setting the bag of food on the table. Kingston and Zuma, both dressed in mismatching swim trunks and t shirts, pounced on the bag. Gwen handed Apollo a sandwich and took a seat next to him as Kingston and Zuma hurriedly shoved down their food.

Blake chuckled, shaking his head at the crazy boys. He slipped out of the kitchen and went back to the bedroom to change into his outfit for the night. He slipped on some black swim trunks and a red Arizona Cardinals shirt, pulling on some old tennis shoes to protect his feet. His philosophy was that real men didn’t wear flip flops, and it wasn’t easy to change his mind once he had it set on something. He looked down at his pale legs and shook his head, hoping that a few days in the sun would do some good for them. His skin was the same shade as Frosty the Snowman. He placed a hat over his matted hair and returned to the kitchen where Kingston and Zuma were already done eating and Apollo was nibbling away at the Goldfish Blake had picked up for him. Gwen had only made it halfway through her sandwich.

“Blake, can you tell mom to hurry up?” Zuma whined. “We want to go swimming!”

“You don’t go swimming on a boat Zuma.” Kingston tried to explain. “You just float around on the water. Don’t you remember?”

“That’s stupid.” Zuma complained.

Gwen shot him a warning look.

“I mean that’s not fun.” Zuma corrected himself, not meeting his mom’s eyes.

“Well, we can rent one of those tube things and you can float behind the boat.” Blake suggested. “And we can always park the boat in a little cove and let you guys go out and swim.”

Gwen seemingly approved of the idea. “Tonight we’ll just drive around, but tomorrow we’ll go to the rental shop and get a tube and some other fun stuff.”

“And we can rent one of those pontoon boats with the slide that goes down into the water.” Blake said, trying to excite the boys.

It seemed to be working because both Kingston and Zuma’s eyes lit up. 

Gwen gave the rest of her sandwich to Blake and began cleaning up the boys’ mess as they sprayed each other down with sun block. Once everything was in order, Gwen grabbed the beach bag and they all headed down to the dock. 

The house had come with a decent sized speed boat, and the boys all eagerly jumped in. Even Apollo looked excited as Kingston lowered him into the boat.

“Don’t forget lifejackets.” Gwen said, opening up one of the compartments and passing out lifejackets. She buckled Apollo into the toddler one she had brought for him, then pulled off her bikini cover and strapped one on herself. Blake threw one on as well, although normally he wouldn’t bother with them. But now that he had three boys to watch out for, he had to be a good example.

“Are we going to go really fast?” Zuma asked excitedly.

“Not too fast.” Gwen said, looking at Blake as if she was reminding him that she would kill him if he got them hurt. She had Apollo clenched to her chest as if he was going to disappear into thin air if she let go. 

“We’ll see how fast your mom lets me go.” Blake joked, putting the key in the ignition and backing out so that he could turn around. The boat hit the side of the dock and shook a little, causing Gwen’s hands to grip the side of the boat.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Gwen asked.

“Of course.” Blake laughed. “You’ve been with me on my boat back in Oklahoma. I’m a great driver.”

“I think you almost killed us.” Gwen said doubtfully. 

“Listen, I swear those trees weren’t there before.” Blake said, looking back at her with a laugh. He started moving the boat forward, advancing out of the no wake zone. As soon as he hit the open water, he gunned it.

“Blake!” Gwen shouted as they zipped across the water. They hit a small wave and the front of the boat launched into the air, coming down safely a second later. Kingston and Zuma shouted in glee, throwing their hands up in the air. Even Apollo had a smile on his face as Gwen’s grip around him tightened to a near choke.

Blake laughed and slowed down, letting the boat come down to a medium paced cruise. “Hey, we got a speed boat for a reason.” He chuckled.

If looks could kill, Blake would be six feet under. Gwen rubbed her hands through her frazzled hair. “I’d like to come off of this boat with all of us in one piece.” She said.

“That was awesome!” Kingston cheered. “Do it again Blake! Do it again!”

Blake increased the speed a little bit, but not as fast as he was going before. Gwen didn’t say anything, so Blake assumed he was going at a reasonable pace. They drove around the large lake for about forty minutes, admiring the utter beauty of the Ozarks around them. Kingston and Zuma waved at any boats they passed by, and Blake and Gwen did their best to not get recognized by their drivers. The last thing they needed was the paparazzi showing up and ruining their vacation. 

Blake finally pulled into a little secluded cove, away from the main traffic of the big lake. He killed the engine on the boat and made sure they were floating a reasonable distance from the shore, then turned to face his passengers. “This would be a good place to jump out and swim if ya’ll want to.” Blake said, the hot August sun beating down on all of them. 

Kingston and Zuma looked to their mom for approval. She gave them a nod and they scrambled to the back of the boat, standing on the edge and jumping into the cold water. Their heads emerged a couple seconds later. 

Blake climbed back and sat on the seat next to Gwen, draping his arm around her shoulder. Apollo was watching his brothers play in the water.

“See, that wasn’t bad.” Blake said. 

“I’m just used to nicer boats in the French Rivera or something.” Gwen explained.

Blake gave her another one of his ‘wow I can’t believe we’re together’ looks, shaking his head. “Ok princess.” He laughed. “In the United States, we just go really fast for really long periods of time.”

“Are you asking me to make a sex joke?” Gwen asked, arching an eyebrow up.

Blake laughed and shook his head. “All I’m saying is that this isn’t a billion dollar boat on some foreign river. What’s the fun of boating if you can’t go fast?”

“Um, enjoying the view and spending time with family.” Gwen explained.

“All that stuff is overrated.” Blake joked. He looked back at Kingston and Zuma, who were splashing each other with water near the boat. He checked his phone and saw it was a little after seven, meaning that the sun would set in about an hour. He figured they should start heading back.

“Are you sure you don’t want to jump in before we go back?” Blake asked. 

Gwen shook her head. “I’m good. Maybe I’ll get in tomorrow.”

“Oh come on.” Blake insisted. “Kingston and Zuma can watch Apollo real quick while we jump in.”

Gwen shook her head again. “Let’s just get home before the sun sets.” She said.

Blake shrugged and yelled at Kingston and Zuma to hop back in. “Hey babe, there’s a ladder in the back that you have to let down so they can climb back in.” He explained as the boys swam around to the back of the boat.

Gwen set Apollo down on the seat and climbed to the back, squatting on the edge of the boat to find the ladder. Blake quietly snuck up behind her, and before she knew what was happening, he gave her a light shove into the water. 

Kingston and Zuma watched as Gwen tumbled into the water, letting out a brief yelp before her head disappeared beneath the murky surface. The two boys started laughing uncontrollably as Blake cracked a small smile.

Gwen’s head emerged a few seconds later. “You are so dead.” She spluttered, taking off her soaked sunglasses and wiping her eyes with her hands. Blake lowered the ladder and let Kingston and Zuma climb in, laughs and giggles still escaping from their mouths as they watched their mom swim towards the boat.

Blake extended a hand to help Gwen up the ladder, but that was a bad mistake. She took his hand and yanked towards her, causing him to topple into the water beside her. Kingston and Zuma doubled over in laughter.

Blake’s head popped out of the water a few seconds later. “Ok, I deserved that.” He laughed, wiping water out of his eyes. Gwen punched him in the shoulder as they floated beside each other in the lake.

“Now I have to wash my hair.” She pouted. “Thanks for that.”

Blake chuckled and helped her back on to the boat, both of them dripping wet. Kingston and Zuma were trying to suppress their smiles, but it clearly wasn’t working.

Gwen plopped back down in her seat and shot Blake a glare.

Blake smiled innocently. “Oh come on, the water felt good.” He laughed.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Now I’m cold.” She pouted.

Blake turned on the ignition. “We’ll be home soon.” He promised. “I just couldn’t help myself.”

Suddenly, Gwen let out a yelp.

Blake spun around. “What?” He asked.

Gwen stuck up her left hand. “My ring! It’s gone!” She exclaimed, wiggling her fingers to emphasize the point. Sure enough, the diamond ring was noticeably missing from her finger. 

“Blake is in trouble.” Zuma commented from the back of the boat.

“Not now Zuma!” Kingston said, shushing his brother.

Blake’s cursed under his breath, knowing he was in for another lecture. 

“You lost my engagement ring.” Gwen continued. “Do you know what that means?” She asked. 

Blake shook his head, meeting her furious eyes.

“That means we’re technically not engaged anymore.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. “So the wedding is off.”

Kingston and Zuma both gasped.

Blake just laughed. “She’s kidding you guys.” He clarified to the boys, who both had worried expressions on their faces. “If anything, I should be the upset one. Do you know how much money that ring cost?” He asked Gwen.

“Well it’s your fault anyways.” Gwen stated matter-of-factly. “You pushed me into the water. Your little prank cost you ten thousand dollars.”

“Ten thousand dollars!” Kingston shouted. “You spent ten thousand dollars on a ring?”

“More than that buddy. Don’t date a girl with expensive taste, you’ll regret it.” Blake answered, earning himself another punch in the shoulder from Gwen. “Listen I bet they have a nice Costco around here. We can replace it in no time.” He said with a smirk.

“Nice try.” Gwen said. “I want an even better replacement. And you have to propose all over again when you give it to me.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Geez, it’s just a ring.” He muttered, inching the boat forward.

“If you replace my engagement ring with something crappy, ’ll replace you.” She warned.

“Oh snap.” Kingston interjected. 

“But I don’t want you to replace Blake.” Zuma said. “Blake, you better spend a lot of money on that ring.”

“Don’t leave Blake!” Apollo added from his seat.

Gwen smirked. “See, even the kids are counting on you.

Blake just smiled and shook his head. “You’re such a princess.” He commented.

“Well then treat me like a queen.” Gwen replied with a smirk.

He laughed and gunned the engine. “Well then hold on tight Queen Stefani!” He yelled as the boat rocketed across the lake again. He’d still get the last laugh.


	4. Ghost Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've updated this. I had a sudden motivation to write something tonight so I hope you like it! More family fluff!

“Gwen, we’ll be like half a mile away from the house. Nothing bad is going to happen.” Blake said as he piled another pancake onto the plate in front of him. He was making breakfast in the kitchen while his girlfriend was seated a few feet away in the dining room wearing nothing but one of his flannels that she had thrown on after they had taken a shower together that morning. Kingston, Zuma and Apollo were still sleeping in their rooms, or at least in the rooms that Blake had designated as theirs since they didn’t have official bedrooms at his ranch. Blake had tried to put a few things into the guest rooms to make them more kid friendly but he hadn’t yet found the time to do a complete makeover to accommodate his new family.

“There’s animals out there Blake. What’s stopping them from breaking into the tent and hurting someone?” Gwen insisted. Her boyfriend had promised her two oldest boys that he would take them camping in the woods outside his house that night, but she still wasn’t a fan of the idea.

“All that’s out there is deer, turkey and some harmless critters.” Blake promised. “Although I’ve heard rabbits and squirrels can be quite deadly.” He joked.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “I just want everybody to be safe.” She said with a pout.

Blake turned off the griddle he had been using to make pancakes and walked over to his girlfriend. “No,” he said with a smirk, stepping behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. “You’re just trying to make excuses for the fact that you’re too scared to camp out with us.”

“I am not.” Gwen scoffed. 

“You’re not scared or you’re not trying to make excuses?” Blake said with a wink.

Gwen stood up from the chair and faced her boyfriend. “I’m not scared, I’m just…” Gwen paused, looking for the right word. “Concerned.”

“I think concerned is a synonym for scared darling.” Blake replied.

“Listen I have a lot of feelings right now, but scared is not one of them.” Gwen said.

Blake laughed. “Right so you just feel concerned, worried, anxious, fearful… Hold on let me pull up a thesaurus.” He said, motioning towards his phone.

Gwen punched his shoulder. “You’re so mean.” She said, although both of them knew she didn’t mean it.

Blake shook his head with a smile, taking both of her hands in his. “Trust me babe, we’ll be fine. There’s nothing out there that could hurt us. Besides, Kingston and Zuma could probably fight off a small sized bear if it were two on one. I’ve felt how hard they can punch.” He said with a smile, trying to break down Gwen’s defenses with a little humor. “You can stay cooped up in this boring, stuffy house all night and we’ll be back in the morning.”

Gwen glared at him. “I’m not scared.” She insisted.

Just then they heard a door down the hall open, followed by the sound of small feet walking down the hallway.

“I’m going to go put some clothes on.” Gwen said, releasing her hands from Blake’s grasp. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” 

“Hey Gwen.” Blake said as she walked towards the bedroom.

Gwen turned around to look at him again.

“I love you even if you are a chicken.” He said with a smile.

Gwen flipped him off and walked away just as Kingston entered the room.

Blake chuckled and shook his head.

 

“Why won’t you come camping with us mom?” Zuma asked as they sat around the dinner table that evening. They were having an early dinner so Blake and the boys could go outside and set up for their camp out.

“I have to stay inside with Apollo.” Gwen said, poking at what was left of her salad. “He’s too little to be out there.”

“Mom, what do you think people did before they had houses?” Kingston asked, looking at Gwen from across the table. “Everyone lived outside. And most of their kids survived.”

“The kid makes a good point.” Blake agreed.

Gwen opened her mouth to say something but couldn’t think of a comeback.

“I think she’s scared.” Zuma said with a giggle. “Mommy is scared of the woods.”

“I am not.” Gwen said.

“She’s not scared guys, she’s just concerned.” Blake explained with a knowing look towards Gwen.

“Don’t those mean the same thing?” Kingston asked.

Gwen shot him a look while Blake laughed. “I just don’t want Apollo to be uncomfortable.” She argued.

“Hey Pollo.” Zuma said, turning to his younger brother. “Do you want to have s’mores and sleep outside with me, Kingston and Blake?”

Apollo seemed to think it over for a second before nodding his small head. “I want to camp!” He said enthusiastically. 

Gwen buried her head in her hands. 

“See mom!” Kingston said with a triumphant smirk.

“They got you.” Blake smiled as Gwen lifted up her head.

“Fine.” Gwen sighed. “I’ll go camping with you.”

Kingston and Zuma gave each other a high five as Apollo clapped from his seat. 

“But only if you guys clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.” Gwen said, getting the last laugh. 

Kingston and Zuma jumped out of their seats and began to take away the dishes as Blake looked at Gwen with a smile.

“I knew you’d come around.” He said.

Gwen just laughed and shook her head. “You put them up to this didn’t you?” She asked.

Blake put his hands up. “It wasn’t me. They did that all by themselves. You just got outsmarted by your own kids.” 

“It’s ok.” Gwen said, pausing as Kingston returned to pick up a few more plates. “I’ll get them back.” She whispered. 

 

That night they sat around the faint glow of the dwindling fire. They had set up the tent a couple hours ago and spent the rest of the night making s’mores and talking around the campfire Blake had lit. It was nearly 10 o’clock and Gwen could see the tiredness creeping onto on her boys’ faces. 

Before Blake could herd everyone into the tent, Gwen cleared her throat. “You know what every good campout needs?” She said, looking around the circle. “A ghost story.”

Blake shot her a look, surprised by her sudden interest in camping traditions. “Do you have one in mind?” He asked.

“Oh I have one!” Kingston said, raising his hand. 

Gwen shook her head. “No, I want to start. Apollo, cover your ears.” She said as she leaned in close to the fire. “So once upon a time…”

Gwen launched into a story she had learned as child, her boys watching her with their eyes wide open in fear. By the time Gwen was finished, even Blake was a little creeped out.

“They heard the sound of a chainsaw in the distance and nobody saw the kids again.” Gwen finished with a satisfied smirk. 

Kingston and Zuma stared at each other with terrified looks. 

“Well, on that note, who’s ready for bed?” Blake interrupted. 

Kingston and Zuma both stood up slowly. “I’m not even scared.” Kingston said to Zuma as they both walked towards the tent. Blake noticed they were using the flashlights he had given them earlier to check out the woods around them.

“That was just mean.” Blake said with a laugh as Gwen picked up Apollo.

“So was tricking me into coming out here.” Gwen said.

They both walked to the tent and ducked inside, zipping up the entrance behind them.

“Alright, everybody get nice and cozy. This is only a four person tent so we’ll have to squeeze a bit.” Blake announced as he turned on a small lantern.

“Uh Blake, can you sleep by the entrance?” Zuma asked from the far corner of the tent. “I’m, uh, afraid I might accidentally fall out.”

“I’ll sleep by the entrance.” Gwen volunteered, setting Apollo down next to his brothers. “I like the breeze.”

“What breeze? And since when do you like anything cold?” Blake muttered. Gwen elbowed him the ribs. 

“Alright then.” Blake said, rubbing his midsection as Gwen snuggled up behind him. “Lights out.” He switched off the lantern and the tent was bathed in darkness. 

“Goodnight babies.” Gwen said, her face half buried in Blake’s shirt. She was pressed against him for warmth.

“Goodnight mom.” Kingston and Zuma replied in unison. Apollo was already asleep beside them.

About an hour later, Blake felt something beside him move, causing him to wake up from his light sleep. He slowly opened one eye and immediately noticed the tent had been opened, the flap gently swaying in the slight wind. He also noticed that his girlfriend was no longer sleeping beside him. He closed his eyes again, figuring that she had gone to the bathroom or something. A few seconds later, a bright light flooded the tent, causing Blake’s eyes to open again. He could hear Kingston and Zuma stir next to him. He rubbed his eyes and was about the go investigate when suddenly he heard a sound. More specifically, it was the sound of a chainsaw coming from right outside the tent. The next sound he heard was the high pitched scream of the two boys laying less than a foot away from him, followed by the cry of a sleepy toddler. 

Blake cursed under his breath, immediately putting two and two together and trying not to laugh. “Calm down guys.” He said, turning his body towards Kingston and Zuma, who were both fully hidden underneath their sleeping bags. The chainsaw sound persisted, although the light had gone away. Blake began to crawl outside when another scream stopped him.

“Blake you can’t go out there!” Kingston yelled, his small head poking out from the sleeping bag. “You’ll die!”

Blake laughed and shook his head. “I’ll take my chances.” He said, stepping out into the night. Sure enough, his girlfriend was standing a few feet away from the tent with a bluetooth speaker in her hand a huge smile on her face.

“You are so mean.” Blake said, looking at her with another laugh.

Gwen turned off the chainsaw sounds and giggled. “Did they fall for it?” She asked.

“See for yourself.” Blake said, lifting up the opening to the tent.

Blake and Gwen peered in and saw nothing but two motionless sleeping bags in the corner. Gwen shone her flashlight in and saw one of the bags flinch.

“You guys can come out.” She laughed. “It was just me.”

Slowly, Zuma’s blonde head emerged from one of the sleeping bags. “Mom?” He asked.

Gwen nodded her head. “I was just pranking you guys.” She said, holding up her and phone and the speaker. She pressed play on the sound effect and the chainsaw noise once again filled the tent, causing Zuma to shoot back into the sleeping bag.

Kingston finally popped his head out, revealing Apollo as well. “Are you serious?” He asked.

Gwen tried not to laugh. “I’m sorry guys but I couldn’t help myself. I had to get you back for making me come out here.”

Kingston and Zuma finally lowered their sleeping bags, both of them with scowls across their faces. “That wasn’t funny mom!” Kingston said, his forehead still glistening with sweat.

“It was a little funny.” Blake interrupted, giving Gwen props for her prank.

Kingston and Zuma both turned their backs, effectively giving their mother the silent treatment. Apollo had already fallen back asleep next to Kingston.

Gwen laughed again and laid down again next to Blake, their faces only inches apart.

“That was a good one.” Blake said, a smile still on his face. “You had me worried their for a second.”

“A second?” Gwen asked.

“I mean I figured it was you once I heard the chainsaw. I knew you had left the tent and it didn’t take a genius to put it together.” Blake explained. 

“So you weren’t scared?” Gwen said with a pout.

“It’d take a lot more to concern me.” Blake smirked.

“Well then,” Gwen said slyly, her hand reaching out to rest on top of Blake’s leg. “I guess I’ll have to get my revenge on you some other way.”

Her hand slipped down to Blake’s crotch. She lightly rubbed her fingers in a circle across the small bulge that began to develop in his pajama pants. 

“Not fair.” Blake whispered, helpless as she continued to tease him. 

Gwen slipped her fingers underneath his loose pants and felt him harden. She continued to rub circles, watching as his eyes closed from a mixture of pleasure and pain. Before she was tempted to go any further, Gwen yanked her hand back and flipped around, her back now to Blake.

“Oh come on.” Blake pouted, his body now desperate for her touch. He knew she had played him.

Gwen smirked to herself. She truly had gotten the last laugh.


	5. Bad Day Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't very long but it's something. Just some more family fluff. Hope you enjoy!

Gwen was not having a good morning. First, she had woken up that morning with a pounding headache. After taking a few Tylenol, she attempted to fall back asleep before having her eardrums pierced by the sound of a screaming toddler. It took her thirty minutes to get Apollo to calm down, and by that point Kingston and Zuma had stumbled into the kitchen asking for breakfast. She made herself a cup of coffee, attempting to put a little caffeine in her system before she went on mom duty, but she immediately spilled the hot drink all over her shirt. After putting a few pieces of toast down for her sons, Gwen had received an angry phone call from her ex husband who was mad at her for promising Kingston a cellphone without consulting him first. After hanging up on him once, Gwen ignored three calls before a fourth ring made her snap. 

“Listen Gavin, I don’t have to ask you for permission every time I do something. I am their parent too and I am allowed to make my own decisions. When will you get it through your thick head that you don’t control me anymore?” Gwen said harshly into the phone, her eyes red with exhaustion and her words dripping with anger.

“I mean I got that through my head a long time ago but I don’t think Gavin has.” A soft voice said through the phone.

Gwen gasped and brought her free hand to her mouth. “Oh my god Blake I am so sorry. I didn’t know it was you calling. I thought you were…”

“It’s fine sweetheart.” Blake interrupted with a chuckle. “Are you ok? You sound like you’re having a bad day.”

“You don’t even know the half of it.” Gwen said with a sigh, looking down at the coffee stain on her shirt.

“Well then it’s a good thing I flew back early to come see you.” Blake said.

Gwen’s eyes lit up. “You’re coming back today?” She asked excitedly.

“I’m already here.” Blake replied. “I just landed a few minutes ago, and I was going to surprise you but my driver didn’t show up. So I was wondering if you could come pick me up.” He explained. “But if you’re having a bad morning, I could call somebody else…”

“No it’s fine! I, uh, can pick you up.” Gwen said, trying to mask how excited she was to see her boyfriend. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you darling.” Blake responded. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Gwen hung up the phone and silently thanked God that at least one thing had gone right today. Blake had been in business meetings in Nashville all week and she had missed him more than she’d care to admit. They had been together for a year and a half but she never got tired of seeing his bright smile and large dimples when she woke up every morning.

Gwen walked back into the kitchen where her boys were eating breakfast and playing on their iPads, both of them oblivious to the stressful morning their mother had endured. “Alright, everybody go get dressed.” Gwen announced. “We have to pick up Blake from the airport.”

“Blake is back already?” Zuma asked. Gwen had told them that he wouldn’t be home for another few days.

Gwen nodded her head. “And he’s waiting at the airport so hurry up.”

Luckily, Kingston and Zuma didn’t need to be told twice. They both jumped up and ran to their rooms to find clothes to throw on. Gwen grabbed Apollo from the floor and took him to his room, putting him in something other than his Pokemon pajamas. When she returned to the living room, Kingston and Zuma were already ready to go. Kingston had even put on his favorite camo shirt. 

“Um mom.” Kingston said.

“What?” Gwen replied, reaching for her keys.

“Are you gonna change your clothes or are coffee stains fashionable right now?” Kingston asked with a giggle.

Gwen looked down and realized that she was still wearing her pajamas, the giant brown stain accenting her white shirt. “Crap.” She muttered, setting Apollo down. “King can you get everyone in the car while I change real fast?” Gwen instructed, handing the keys to her oldest. She ran back to her room and threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top, stuffing her feet into some old tennis shoes. She knew she looked like crap but her whole day was crap so it seemed fitting. 

“At least my day can only get better from here.” Gwen said, switching off the lights as she walked outside.

 

Her day, in fact, did not get much better. Gwen found herself stuck in rush hour traffic on the way to the airport, and what should have taken less than an hour took nearly two. Apollo had began to cry again half way through the trip, which not only made Kingston and Zuma complain, but it also brought Gwen’s headache back. By the time Gwen finally pulled into the private airstrip, she was five minutes away from a total breakdown. 

“Mom can we get out?” Kingston asked. “I need to stretch my legs.”

“Go ahead.” Gwen sighed, searching the tarmac for sight of her boyfriend. Finally, she spotted him talking to a pilot across the runway. “Hey King.” She said as her oldest son climbed out of the car.

“Yea?” Kingston replied.

“Why don’t you run over and tell Blake we’re here.” Gwen said, pointing to where Blake was in the distance.

Kingston nodded and took off running across the concrete. Zuma, who had been playing on his iPad, hopped out of the car too. He started running after Kingston. Gwen ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes, praying for God to give her a break. When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, she saw her two sons and Blake in a footrace back to the car. Blake’s awkward run made Gwen laugh as they all drew nearer to the car. Kingston won by less than a second, barely beating Zuma to the car. Blake was a few feet behind them.

“I’m too old for this.” Blake panted as he regained his breath, smiling at the two boys.

“You’re just saying that because you lost!” Zuma said tauntingly. 

Blake stuck his tongue out at the boy. Gwen stepped out of the car and let out an audible sigh of relief as Blake’s arms wrapped around her. She buried her head in his shirt and took in his woodsy scent, thankful for the familiar feel of his body against hers.

“I’m so sorry it took me so long.” Gwen apologized as they pulled apart. “We left right after you called but the traffic was crazy.”

“It’s fine.” Blake said with a gentle smile. “I found some guys to talk to. And it’s a nice day to be outside.”

Gwen leaned in for another hug, thankful for Blake’s understanding. She knew she was being needy but she was desperate for Blake’s touch after the morning she had had. 

“Do you want me to drive?” Blake asked, Gwen’s head still pressed against his chest. He felt her nod. “Alright.” He said, pulling away from their hug. “Let’s get you home.”

 

The drive home was a lot smoother than the drive to the airport. Both Apollo and Gwen fell asleep less than ten minutes after leaving the airport, and Kingston and Zuma alternated between playing on their iPads and grilling Blake with questions about his trip. When they arrived home, Blake let Zuma and Kingston inside and carried Apollo to his room, laying him down to finish his nap. When he came back to the living room, he saw Gwen slumped against the wall.

“Why don’t you go sleep some more babe?” Blake suggested, stepping to Gwen and running his hand down her cheek.

“The boys need lunch.” She yawned.

“I can handle that.” Blake said, taking her hand and leading her towards their bedroom. “Seriously, you look exhausted. Let me watch them for a few hours.”

Gwen finally gave in, giving Blake a quick kiss on the lips before disappearing down the hallway.

Blake then found Kingston and Zuma and told them his plan.

 

Gwen woke up in a much better mood than she had been in when she fell asleep. A three hour nap had done her well and she was ready to face the world again. She decided to freshen up a bit before going back out. Blake had seen her without makeup plenty of times throughout their relationship, but she couldn’t help but want to look good for him on his first day back. Especially after she had left him alone with her kids for three hours. She applied some minimal makeup and changed into some cuter clothes, giving herself an approving look in the mirror. For the first time that day, she felt good.

Gwen didn’t see anyone when she entered the living room. She called out Blake’s name but he didn’t answer, leading her to glance out into the backyard. What she saw caused her to place her hands over her heart.

There was a picnic blanket spread out on the lawn with a trail of rose pedals leading to it from the back door. Her boys and Blake were playing catch with a football a few feet away, and Gwen spotted a couple coolers near them that she assumed had food in them. Apollo was playing with a dinosaur toy in the grass next to them. Gwen opened the door and began walking towards them.

“She’s alive.” Blake said with a smile as he saw her approach them.

“And feeling much better.” Gwen replied. “What’s this?” She motioned to the blanket and coolers.

“We knew you were having a bad day so we made a picnic lunch for you so you could relax.” Kingston answered, throwing the football to the side. “And me Zuma and Apollo colored you pictures.” 

Zuma ran to one of the coolers and grabbed a few pieces of paper that were pinned underneath it. He handed them to Gwen. There were 2 drawings that had a picture of her, Blake and the boys with “get well soon mommy” scrawled on them and one piece of paper that was just scribbles, which she assumed with Apollo’s contribution. Gwen smiled as she looked over the papers.

“We made sandwiches and Blake helped us cut fruit. We made you a peanut butter and jelly.” Kingston explained excitedly, laying the food out on the blanket. 

Gwen walked over to Blake as Zuma and Kingston set up their meal, giving him a loving look. “Was this your idea?” She asked, running her hand down his chest.

“Well I don’t want to take all the credit.” Blake said modestly. “The pictures were their idea.”

Gwen planted a kiss on Blake’s lips, letting it linger a lot longer than she had before. They pulled away with a smile after Kingston made a remark about how gross kissing was. “I owe you.” Gwen said.

“You don’t owe me anything.” Blake promised. “This was my treat. Although if you feel the need to show me how much you missed me later, then I can’t say I would object.” He smirked.

“Let’s just say I call top.” Gwen said, planting another small kiss on his lips. 

Blake grinned as they turned their attention back to the picnic. 

 

Later that night, as Gwen lay with her legs tangled through Blake’s and her head resting against his chest, she thanked God again for her life. What had started as a terrible day had turned into one of the best she could remember.


End file.
